


Cross Cut

by orphan_account



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: AU, F/M, I'm not sure what to really call it, blackbutlerweek, swordssssss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-03-02 18:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2822627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blonde pigtails aside, Elizabeth Phantomhive is feared as the Queen's watchdog, eradicating the evils of Victorian society with a sword in each hand and a mysterious butler at her side.</p><p>For day 7 of Black Butler Week. AU. Lizzy and Ciel switch places. Follows manga strictly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SHIT THIS IS SO LONG and I barely finished it in time too. This follows the manga very strictly since writing this basically involved rereading it entirely. The section for book of murder is pretty short to avoid anything from the upcoming season, but book of circus definitely compensates for it. I had to adjust Lizzy's personality to fit the whole kidnapping/being sold/getting sacrificed by a cult/selling your soul to a demon experience but I hope she's still recognizable as herself and doesn't channel Ciel too much. Alternatively, Ciel is 12 and has both his eyes. What a great tradeoff.

They made for an odd pair. A finely dressed gentleman dressed fully in black strolled across the grass, coattails sweeping behind him. His clothes were perfectly creased, his shoes polished, dark hair parted long and neat. Tall and limber, he stared straight ahead determinedly with an air of self-confidence as if he would find his destination just by going forward. He would be stunningly refined if it weren't for the blood splattered on his dark clothes, his gloved hands, and his sharp face. This didn't seem to bother the girl he was carrying. A little older than ten, she was dotted with bruises and was just as dirty as her threadbare shift dress. Once-shining blonde hair had been hacked off unevenly and the remaining curls were ratty and tangled. One clear green eye stared up at the stars, the other firmly shut and bleeding. They were absolutely silent as they went, neither looking back at the mansion behind them. The two would be the only ones to exit.

\---

Elizabeth likes swords.

They are long and elegant, almost like wands. Yes, a wand, because with a flick of the wrist she can make her enemies disappear. They are strong but flexible, with beautiful steel blades gleaming like silver. She has cabinets full of them, cutlasses and sabers and rapiers and any type imaginable. The hilt of each is engraved with the Phantomhive crest so that every opponent felled will remember her name. You can't do that with bullets. Though Elizabeth had trained with them before, guns are loud and graceless. Blades never jam or need reloading. Swords are wonders of simplicity, each an art to create and to wield. The only issue is that they were a little difficult to hide. Sebastian had suggested knives once, but she never could get the handling right. They didn't have the same finesse anyway. Elizabeth would continue to have scabbards sewn into her petticoats, and no matter how troublesome a request Nina found it to be, there is nothing quite like the expressions of her assailants when she unsheathes her weapons.

It feels more like she is unsheathing her identity. Generations of Phantomhives dead-end at a pigtailed girl of thirteen, and sometimes it takes a little proving that the Queen's watchdog is not a poodle but a great dane.

"Miss, the Marchion Midford will be arriving shortly," Sebastian warns from outside her bedroom door.

Maybe today she'll be a labrador. Well-groomed, entertaining, eager to please, loyal. The ideal fiancée. Fixing her eyepatch, Elizabeth opens the door with a nod to her butler and heads for the main entrance, knowing he will follow.

\---

_Red._

_Red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red red_

_Her sword was red, and so was her dress. Aunt Anne was swimming in it: her skirt, her hair, her skin, her blouse was painted in red watercolors. You never called her by her nickname but it fits now more than ever. Grell's hair was red too, just as red as her glasses and chainsaw and the coat she stole so rudely. All this red must have been contagious, because even Sebastian was spattered in the color and he is always, always black. He was even seeing red, and that's dangerous because if you are emotional while fighting your swings become wider and sloppier and give openings. Chainsaws leave so much ugly wreckage too._

_She saw the full extent with Aunt Anne, and again when Sebastian took a swipe straight across the chest. Elizabeth dared to think he just might be really, truly dead this time around, and she gripped her sword tighter out of habit. She didn't loosen even after her butler stood back up. He'd never been so close to death before but it was an odd reassurance that he's as composed and professional as always. Sebastian tore his coat off with a sigh, and Elizabeth wondered just how charging forward with a piece of clothing was going to beat a death scythe when the constant growling of its motor was suddenly choked._

_Grell panicked, frantic to fix her chainsaw as Sebastian simply put a hand to his temple. Elizabeth finally relaxed, wiping the blood off her sword while the familiar sounds of her butler beating someone with his fists served as background music. Sheathing the blade, the chainsaw's motor revved back up, this time in Sebastian's hands. It seemed like the day was done and the investigation complete when metal ground against metal and suddenly a pole was blocking Sebastian's finishing stroke._

_Wait. Not a pole, but... pruning shears? It extended all the way down from the rooftop, where a stranger introduced himself with polite words and a disgusted tone as the shinigami William T. Spears. His graceful leap from the rooftop ended directly on Grell's head, and he was having almost too much fun stomping on it as he listed out her crimes. William only paused to hand Sebastian a business card of all things and a dish him a thinly-covered insult. The butler promptly threw the paper slip over his shoulder with a snide response, and before an argument could begin they settled on the fact that humans are foolish and easily tempted. The intruder sent a strange look at Elizabeth before pulling Grell away by the hair, and Sebastian got the last laugh by throwing the chainsaw at his retreating back. William caught it with the same ease that Elizabeth supposed all non-humans have and left._

_Sebastian apologized for letting Grell escape as if she needed an explanation. The blonde shook her head dismissively and smoothed the creases of her dress, sorting out her thoughts. Firstly, she was tired and cold, but that could be fixed. Secondly, her only remaining family was dead in front of her, redder than usual. Even if she was Jack the Ripper, Elizabeth still felt a pang of sorrow that overtook the usual pride of finishing an assignment from the Queen. Sebastian can further explain this whole Shinigami business with Grell later, though she was still feeling a tad insulted by that newcomer, William T. Whomever. Reaper or not, who did this man think he was, acting so superior and condescendingly? Sebastian wasn't her pet and she could handle him._

_The demon suggested they return to the manor, and Elizabeth heartily agreed. He needed a new coat._

_\---_

_They were truly eccentric, this Prince Soma and Agni. Their experiences as nobility differed much from hers, and their dispositions as well. Though Elizabeth could certainly relate to having lost someone irreplaceable, she had learned that once they are gone, they aren't coming back. The Elizabeth three years ago would have dropped everything to help search, but the current one knew better. Though Elizabeth wouldn't tell them, she felt the search was somewhat... pointless._

_Still, the duo made for great company. Elizabeth had never studied Indian culture, but everything about them was exotic and colorful, like the spices and incense Lau brought over. The pair retold Hinduism's illustrious stories wonderfully, and the longer they spent in the Indian exhibit the more fantastical the culture felt (Finny's expression when he first saw an elephant was adorable). Anyone that could stand par to Sebastian was a worthy ally, and Soma was determined to stay anyway. However, she wasn't quite sure if they were worth all this trouble. Though seeing Sebastian take a taxidermic deer off the wall and become the Prince's noble steed was Undertaker-worthy hilarious, the Funtom company had been cornered into a curry contest of all things. Elizabeth sighed. The Queen's warrant wouldn't hurt though, and even if Agni was stiff competition, she didn't doubt that Sebastian would win._

_The two butlers were onstage right now, presenting their respective curries to the judges, and Soma was more melodramatic than usual. After the first four cooks were turned down the two butlers had all the attention. Elizabeth would be lying if she wasn't a little intimidated by Agni's blue lobster, but her smile returned when Sebastian strode across the stage to present his curry. She would also be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by his big reveal, but she wasn't stupid enough to think that Sebastian would serve uncooked lumps of dough. When the butler began frying them her suspicions were confirmed, and as the judges took their first bites, they proclaimed its genius as fervently as they did for Agni's._

_She'd been avoiding looking at him until now, but good God in heaven would somebody make the Viscount shut up before she charged the stage and decapitated him!? Just thinking back to when she had to seduce him (she was thirteen, did he have no morals?) in the same room as her fiancé made her fume. Yes, he wasn't Jack the Ripper, but if she had gone through all of that to unveil his human trafficking lair he should at least be serving jail time._

_The curries were passed out and Elizabeth skipped them over. It was twenty minutes until they announced the winner regardless. Anticlimactically, the winner ended up being nobody, and that Sebastian and Agni had tied. Elizabeth was in the process of sighing again when the trophy was literally whipped out of the judge's hand and into the Queen's footman's. If he was here, that must mean that her majesty was as well, and her watchdog was immediately in a deep curtsy as the one and only Queen Victoria rode in on a horse. She dismounted with a smile only to collapse into a fit of misery at the though of her husband, and Lau was slapped at by Elizabeth for his skeptical judging of character. Dabbing away a tear, the Queen cradled the trophy before handing it and her vote to Sebastian, and even he looked a little surprised before receiving it graciously. Lord West rushed to her with protests, and her majesty simply gestured to the gathered audience with a wide smile. Elizabeth hid a proud simper as the Queen explained and he fell to the ground in defeat and dramatics. This time, the blonde didn't refuse the newly-christened "curry doughnut" when offered one by Mey-rin, and after Agni received his recognitions in a touching compliment from her majesty all was well and done._

_Then there was a feminine shriek and a flurry of dyed sashes as a woman scurried over to Lord West. Soma identified the lady in a yell of his own as Meena, and she turned to him in a look of astonishment before it quickly warped into irritation. She backed out of her former master's hug with a scowl, recounting her grudge against him and the Indian caste system. Agni was on his knees crying about his failed mission, but the prince interrupted with a humble apology to both butler and ex-servant as he walked towards Agni. Seeing the two reconcile was a touching scene even to the Queen, who smiled at her watchdog fondly._

_"Dear girl, I rarely see you in person. Why don't you visit Windsor instead of writing all those letters?"_

_Elizabeth fiddled with the lace seam of her dress. "I really am just your servant. There's truly no need when it's simply my duty to carry out your will and report back."_

_The Queen placed a hand on her head, and for once Elizabeth didn't mind being treated like a child. "You're so young, yet so much like your father and as beautiful as your mother." Everyone at the Phantomhive manor knew the topic of her parents to be a sensitive one, and before Elizabeth could wince at the memory her majesty was sobbing over her beloved King Albert again. All waved goodbye as the royal entourage departed._

_\---_

_Impressively filthy tents. A shinigami leaning over Sebastian's shoulders daily. Dirt floors that coated anything that touched it with mud. Gaudy jester outfits in atrocious colors with cheap, dusty makeup that made you choke on air. Bugs swarming everywhere, and there'd be rats too if it weren't for a snake charmer's pets. Third-rate potatoes, carrots, and beef for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A roommate who apparently can't understand the word "stop" because days after Elizabeth can still feel her eyes on that terrible brand. A letter with her name on it, and no brief mention either but a bullet-pointed biography._

_More than thrilled to have left, it seemed the Queen's watchdog had traded the Noah's Ark Circus for its cleaner but far more grotesque little brother. Tonight's entertainment, as Joker had called it, starred children. Each was masked and straight-faced, and the redheaded ringleader looked slightly pained as he announced the first act: a tightrope walker. Elizabeth traded a guarded look with Sebastian before turning to her host, who looked giddy with eagerness as a young girl climbed the ladder upwards. Even Doll had used a safety net, and Elizabeth had never seen her falter once. As Joker kindly pointed out, there was neither a net nor a safety line, and a twenty foot drop would kill a child as thin and short as she. Just as the blonde expected, the masked girl was free falling before her third step._

_"Sebastian!" Elizabeth yelled._

_The butler caught the tightrope walker half a foot off the ground, setting her upright on her feet as Joker gasped and the Baron frowned. The girl held an emotionless, unfixed gaze as Sebastian removed her mask and confirmed it to be a missing nine-year-old from Cambridge named Isabella Stanford. It might have been too early to call it, but Elizabeth couldn't wait any longer to close the case. Her chair screeched harshly against the floorboards as she wordlessly stood up, unclasping the hidden scabbards at her sides and storming over to the Baron. Joker jumped the dinner table to stop her but she beat him there, putting a sword to the Baron's jugular. Joker unsheathed the blade hidden in his cane and aimed for the blonde, but she swatted it away with her left as Sebastian arrived with a knife under the redhead's chin._

_"Joker! Put that dangerous thing away!" the Baron commanded, uncaring that the ringmaster had two blades pointed at him._

_"Baron Kelvin, over a hundred children have gone missing on account of you and your actions. Where are they? And what have you done with them?" Elizabeth commanded._

_The bandaged man turned to her, speaking as if there wasn't a sword at his throat nor she the one holding it. "You want to see the children? Of course, of course! They're in the basement. I wanted to show it to you anyway. Come." He wheeled away, the two little girls beside him guiding him down a hall. Lowering the sword pointed at Joker, Elizabeth kept the edge of the other at the Baron's windpipe as they descended to the basement. In front of two tall double doors, he paused and smiled at her, looking ready to speak or give some sort of introduction. Too impatient to deal with this circus nonsense any longer, Elizabeth stomped past him and thrust the doors open._

_Then she wished she hadn't._

_Whatever sick mind that had decided to recreate the lowest point in her entire life certainly did it to full accuracy. The same high chandelier as three years ago lit the room eerily, casting long shadows as the group entered. Rows of seats circled an altar like bleachers in a stadium. Three large cages were set around the table, containing not livestock but godforsaken children. Miserable, dirty, scared, lost, damaged, starved, lonely, injured, kidnapped children. The further Elizabeth stepped into the room, the more accurate the reenactment revealed itself to be. Swords clattered to the ground as Elizabeth fell to her knees, sucking in shaking breaths and holding her hands to her head. This was so wrong and cruel and she was crying before she recognized the feeling._

_"Isn't it magnificent? Just as it was three years ago," the Baron crooned. Sebastian was close by with Joker still captive, the former stunned and the latter terrified. "Oh, what I would have given to be present on that night! To be-"_

_He was cut short when Elizabeth snatched a sword from the ground and slashed wildly. Collapsed on the floor and blinded with tears, she only managed to hit his shins with the flat of the blade. Sobbing and shaking, Elizabeth pulled herself up by the altar and stood weakly. Lifting her head high and wiping her eyes, she regained her balance and aimed, sure to kill him this time. Charging and slashing his abdomen, she nearly did. Joker screamed. She didn't even look at him, only recognizing that Sebastian had severed his arm when the blood started pooling in front of her. The redhead was trying to say something but she couldn't hear it through the pounding in her head and the flashbacks in her mind. Joker knelt on the floor not that far from her, wailing and spouting stories that Elizabeth only half-listened to._

_Shaking her head, she rocked from side to side unsteadily. "I don't care. This is wrong and that's all that matters in the end. You're finished. Everything is finished."_

_Joker fell quiet before breaking into hysterics. "Ah, but that's not true! Right now, my fellow circus members are at your manor, looking for you. Everyone will die, all your servants and friends. You will lose just as I have!"_

_It didn't register immediately; nothing had since Elizabeth set foot in this wretched basement. When it finally did, only one thing came to mind: Ciel. She'd sworn she would be strong enough to protect him and she wasn't. Joker started talking again but once more the words became garbled and meaningless. Everything fell away except that Ciel would die because she still wasn't strong enough._

_She looked up at Sebastian and then remembered that that wasn't true._

_Elizabeth flicked the blood off her sword with a single downward stroke. "No. You're wrong. I am more powerful than you, and so are my servants. They are part of the Phantomhive name. We cannot be beaten."_

_He argued despite his position on the floor. "No, they're pros. You can't-"_

_"You're free to believe it or not, however... don't forget that these are capable people selected by me," Sebastian taunted, and the ringmaster looked nearly broken._

_Wheels squeaked from the top of the staircase, and Elizabeth looked up to recognize it as the doctor from the circus. He greeted her and "Black" and stood up from his wheelchair with an odd smile. He seemed unbothered by the amputated Joker but ran over to the Baron when he noticed the large slash across his chest. The story came out soon after, and Joker was horrified to learn that the children he so tirelessly kidnapped had become the raw materials for his prosthetics. Sebastian looked almost amused. Elizabeth's adrenaline was so depleted that she didn't respond until the man strolled leisurely to a cage and pulled out a little girl by the wrist. He laid her on the table and straightened her out, as if arranging flowers in a vase. He raised a knife above his head, and Elizabeth screamed for her butler._

_Sebastian was behind the doctor instanty, twisting his arm behind his back as the knife hit the floor harmlessly. Elizabeth tugged off her eyepatch. "Kill him."_

_A quick snap of the neck and it was done._

_"Okay... Let's go home. Please," the girl said pitifully, crumpling her eyepatch in her fist._

_Sebastian was only mildly surprised. "The Queen has requested the safe return of-"_

_"I said I'm going home! It's an order." Elizabeth demanded, staggering over to him on weak legs._

_"...Yes, my lady." He picked her up slowly, stepping over Joker's bled-out body and leaving._

_\---_

_Elizabeth couldn't turn it down; it was against Phantomhive principle to ignore any request from the Queen. The two Charleses delivered the letter knowing this, and she stared at the envelope in bitterness. The watchdog was hoping for something easy after her last assignment, but simply throwing a welcoming party was too suspicious an order when compared to her usual work. Earl Grey, who'd been sure to invite himself, made it clear that the royal guard wasn't happy about her "abandoning her post." She came back for them and tried her damn hardest to return those children to their homes! The watchdog sulked before the clinking of china snatched her attention as Sebastian set a teacup of chamomile before her._

_Elizabeth nodded gratefully, sitting straighter and taking a sip. "I think I'll retire early tonight. Be sure to contact Undertaker and Lau, and strike up a proper guest list. We can worry about further preparations after."_

_Three weeks later, the weather was as friendly as the guests, and despite the careful planning all manner of things went awry._

_\---_

_Why Ciel followed her into the freight hold, she had no idea. All she knew is that he needed to get out of here because these undead dolls were more than dangerous and if he died on her hands she'd never forgive herself. There were too many for just her two swords. Every zombie felled was replaced before they hit the ground._

_"Up!" Elizabeth yelled, pointing to a stack of crates with one sword and fending off dolls with the other. Ciel noded quickly, and Snake helped him climb the net as the watchdog slashed at the corpses below. She's taking steps backwards, and the dolls were getting decidedly close. Only when her back hit the freight did she realize just how severe her lack of space and time was. A zombie came from the right, vision blocked by her eyepatch, and Ciel screamed a warning just before it was restrained by two boa constrictors._

_"Hurry! Climb up! ...says Webster." With one last swipe, Elizabeth turned around to the crates wearing a grateful smile. Ciel and Snake hadn't climbed as high as she'd wanted, instead reaching to grab and pull her up with desperate faces. Elizabeth set her swords atop first before taking their hands. The net made for a terrible ladder under her low-heeled shoes, but two hoisted her up roughly._

_Ushering her fiancé and footman higher, Elizabeth lamented her next move. The zombies below had fistfuls of satin ripped from her clothes and her outfit would only hinder her now. Picking up one sword, she tore down the front of her dress crudely and shimmied out of the ripped layers. Ciel gasped, and the blonde looked up apologetically, standing in just a lace frock and gloves. Throwing down the shredded remainders as a distraction, Elizabeth clambered up._

_"What are these!?" Ciel asked incredulously._

_"...Reanimated corpses," the blonde answered firmly but somehow hesitantly. "They must not have any sight or sense of pain since they weren't deterred by Snake's friends, so..."_

_"They aren't going upstairs though," Ciel pointed out. Snake nodded._

_A tremor shook their hideaway, and the trio looked down to see the dolls clawing and biting at the crates below. Elizabeth couldn't effectively fight them from such a high angle, and the snakes were far outnumbered. The watchdog found herself panicking, and was ready to order Sebastian away from whatever he was doing when he conveniently appeared on the staircase._

_"Sebastian! Get rid of these zombies! And Ciel! Don't look!" Elizabeth pulled him away, risking a glance over her shoulder that she soon regretted._

_Why did the world need to keep reminding her of those six months?_

_\---_

_Lucas Phantomhive sat on a bench inside Weston College campus, rereading the official rules of cricket pamphlet for the fourth time that morning and resisting the urge to cross her ankles. Yes, _her_ ankles, because it would be difficult to send "Elizabeth" Phantomhive to an all-male school and the yard had been lazy when creating the fake persona. Truthfully, her new first name was the least of the many things bothering her._

_As the Queen's watchdog, it was her duty to relieve any of her majesty's troubles, but this case was as ill-fitted for her as her starchy uniform. Using a disguise in a place this secretive and strict was risky, especially when her father was a well-known alumna and all it took was a visit to the library to discover that he didn't have a son. Disclosing information about her assignments was absolutely prohibited, yet upon learning that Edward Midford was currently attending, there was no end to the series of hoops she ran through to be sure that her future in-laws didn't break her cover. It was hard to investigate another dormitory when interaction with the other houses was so limited, and she and "Professor Michaelis" were holed up in Sapphire Owl. The school ran itself like a government, with its crooked traditions worshipped as law. Students don't enroll in schools to become servants! And these four prefects sat sovereign, a tall obstacle to climb. How was she going to find Derek in a place like this?_

_Charming her way to the top had been a great strategy so far; it was a common one in her arsenal but easy and reliable. She'd been right to keep Soma and Agni around too; getting rid of that despicable Cole was worth leaking the mission's details to them. Elizabeth stood up and straightened her tie, reaching up to tighten her pigtails only to grasp at air. She very well couldn't attend a male-only school with curly hair that went midway down her back. The blonde raked a hand through what remained of it, cut somewhat long but not long enough for her tastes. Setting her hands on her hips, she frowned again, feeling oddly defenseless without a sword at her side. This entire experience was making her feel dysphoric, and she had little show for it but ruined pride and a flower in her lapel. Okay, perhaps the flower wasn't so bad. It had a lovely, delicate hue and also made her peers nearly bow in awe._

_Having moved up some rungs on the school's social ladder, the question now was "what next?" She'd never played cricket before and it looked nothing like fencing._

_\---_

_Sieglinde was definitely a strange girl. The Green Witch was completely at home in a primitive village that reeked of suspicion, yet was desperate to get her guests to stay while every one else wanted the strangely-dressed intruders out. She marveled at the smallest things but was completely unbothered by what lay under Elizabeth's eyepatch. The witch held an impressively independent spirit and the blonde couldn't tell if she hated her disability or maybe even liked it. She was learning English out of a health remedies handbook and was obviously wicked smart, though she didn't pick up any of the villagers' mistakes that occurred right before her eyes._

_Elizabeth did enough acting to recognize it, and she saw the frayed edges of this 10th century facade clear as day. Treating their landowner as everything from a daughter to a threat, stretched pauses in dialogue, stiff movements, it was everywhere and in everyone. Sieglinde seemed to be the only person in the forest with a straight conscience._

_This included herself of course. Sitting in bed in a nightgown, this fact was bothering her more than usual, meaning that it bothered her at all. The bandages on her face felt heavy, and the welts underneath begged to be scratched at. Damn that miasma, or whatever it was or more likely wasn't. Laying down and closing her eyes, she could already feel the weight of sleep on her shoulders. Elizabeth blinked herself awake only to find herself not in a bedroom but a ballroom, and her preassigned dance partner already in front of her._

_She would say it was herself, but it wasn't. Long hair in ringlets was pulled up in pigtails, not in the awkward stages of regrowing itself. There was no sapphire ring on her finger nor sword in her grip. Both of the impostor's eyes shined clear and green, and Elizabeth almost didn't recognize them as her own without the inverted pentagram etched in. The not-her greeted the watchdog kindly, and Elizabeth wasn't sure how to respond._

_That same night, Sebastian tried to eat her soul. The blonde still felt the sting, though she knew it was her own fault that she'd forgotten his true nature. Afterwards they offered Sieglinde the glimmering opportunity to be kidnapped, and helped her shatter her own universe. A signal flare, a pep talk, an unexpected guest, and the servants did what they did best. Quite an eventful assignment._  
  
\---

"Is everything ready?" It is an absolutely unnecessary question but Elizabeth nearly always asks it anyway. It makes her life feel a little more domestic, as if it would clear the pentacle from her eye and the grime from her family name.

"Yes, my lady." Sebastian's reply is the same as ever, and Elizabeth smiles at the familiarity.

More familiar things: the view of the entrance hall from the main staircase. Snake opening the door with a bow. The Marchioness strolling in confidently with her perfectly coiffed hair. Her husband walking in a little more meekly, always behind his wife. Ciel is next, beaming up at Elizabeth as she contemplates if it would be socially acceptable to slide down the banister to see him. Edward's narrowed eyes convince her no; he is always so suspicious of her despite his usually cordial disposition. Descending the stairs and stepping onto the hardwood floor with a click of her shoes, she greets each of her guests in turn before Ciel grabs her hands in his.

"It feels like it's been months! How are you, Lizzy?" He is the only one that gets to call her that anymore.

"Just fine, thank you. Germany was nice and the hostess was lovely, but I prefer England. The air is much calmer." Elizabeth thinks back to her little "vacation." Demons, yes; shinigami, yes; werewolves and witches? No and no, both thankfully and unfortunately.

"I've heard the culture is much different in addition to the language. Perhaps you could ask Uncle Klaus?" Ciel rubs his thumbs against her knuckles, brushing the large sapphire on her right ring finger each time.

"Might I suggest we continue our discussion over tea?" Sir Midford comments.

"After all, it is nearing four o'clock," Edward supplies, seemingly eager to separate the pair.

"Follow me to the parlor, if you so please. You'll find low tea is already prepared," Elizabeth says politely, gesturing down a hall. The Marchioness makes idle statements about Sebastian's unkempt hair and the passable state of the manor as they walk. The butler makes no comment, though Elizabeth can see the miffed annoyance in the edges of his eyes. He is at the parlor door as soon as it is in sight, gesturing inside as the five stroll in and take their seats. Elizabeth finds herself between the Marchioness and her elder son, who is unsubtly watching her from his peripherals as his younger brother shifts guiltily across from her. Sebastian pours the tea with practiced ease.

"Golden cassia?" Ciel surmises, swirling his teacup and watching his mirrored face blur.

"Correct, sir. A recent shipment from China," the butler answers. The boy almost knows too much about tea, and can tell what type it is by smell and color. Sebastian wheels over a cart of pastries and finger sandwiches supposedly prepared by the Phantomhive chef Balrdoy, and though the veteran is the receiver of the compliments, the head of the house can tell who really baked them. The two share a knowing look as she takes a bite of a scone. How Sebastian can look humble and smug at the same time, she would never understand.


	2. bonus extension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this got such great reception that I wanted to add something extra, even though I can't think of a way to turn this into a multi-chap. Part of this was written for the original draft but I ended up cutting it, though I'm glad I saved it so I could clean it up and finish it. 9 months after I posted the completed version, eheh.

_She'd done plenty of treacherous stunts to close cases before, but this fell more along risqué than risky. Disguising in some gaudy wig and dress (it wasn't even a cute one) and flirting with the Viscount Druitt was a filthy task, but necessary if she was going to catch this "Jack the Ripper" villain. Still, when he ran a hand up her waist, she briefly considered breaking it._

_"Are you sure you're ready? It is a little dangerous," he cooed._

_Elizabeth was a master of this game. Be the innocent, sheltered child and let him think you're a weak, easy catch. She batted her eyelashes and looked into the Viscount's eyes pleadingly. "Ah, but I am already a young lady. Surely you can make an exception for me?" she responded a little too prettily, and just when Elizabeth thought she'd overdone it he sent her a leering gaze that made her shudder. He must have taken it positively. A good development for the investigation, but Elizabeth was feeling more and more repulsed every second she spent next to him._

_"Very well, little canary. Follow me, and be sure not to tell your mother." The last line would probably make some girls eager with the thought of rebellion, but Elizabeth remembered where her parents were and scoffed. She was simply doing her job, and if this meant knowingly playing straight into the Viscount's hands, then so be it. When he took her hand, she nearly recoiled. Ciel was the only one allowed to touch her, and he's in the very same room! Nevertheless, she swallowed a sigh and allowed him to lead her up the stairs and into a curtained room._

_Elizabeth recognized the sickly sweet smell of chloroform right away. Resisting was already useless. However, she knew Sebastian was always close by, so even if the situation was less than ideal she knew she could make it out. Not that the watchdog was comfortable allowing the Viscount to do whatever he wanted with her, and as she imagined what he could do with her unconcious body Elizabeth's mind screamed for escape. Unfortunately she could already feel her eyes shutting against her will, meaning she had only seconds left. Resigning herself to the Viscount's plans, she simply breathed, unhappily letting herself lose consciousness._

_\---_

_She wasn't sure how long it had been since she fell asleep, but when Elizabeth woke up the first thing she saw was the dark cloth of a blindfold. She was laying on her back with her hands and feet bound, and when she sat up gossipy chatter and the Viscount Druitt's dripping voice greeted her. She couldn't see a thing, though she could picture his smarmy eyes and proud simper all too accurately._

_"Our next item is a true rarity! Bright green eyes, and curly hair the color of sunshine-"_

_"Sebastian," Elizabeth called dully. The name echoed through the atrium as the candles were extinguished. All the lights shut off, and there was audible panic throughout the hall before they turned back on. Her "private tutor" stood in the center, casually strolling over to the cage as if he wasn't reenacting the day they met._

_"A successful gambit, it seems," Sebastian commented, stepping over unconscious masqueraders. "Though being kidnapped can rarely be considered progress."_

_"I knew you would come. You're forced too. That alone erases any risk."_

_"I find that to be a bit exaggerated," Sebastian retorted but pried open the cage bars nonetheless. Ropes snapped effortlessly, and Elizabeth rubbed her sore wrists as she straightened her posture and shifted her dissheveled wig. The bangs fell over her right eye, which blinked uninhibited by an eyepatch._

_"Even if we did catch a crime in progress, this doesn't explain the killings. We need further evidence, but I think we're finished for tonight. Let's go home."_

_"Yes, my lady." The butler scooped up Elizabeth in his arms and fled._

_\---_

_Standing alone on a balcony, Ciel took a deep breath of fresh night air. He wasn't a fan of large parties, and though he knew all the etiquette, all the greetings and dance steps and names of the half-serving refreshments, he would be having more fun if Lizzy were here. It's always more fun with her, even if the time they'd spent together had decreased dramatically in the past few years._

_Something caught the light in his peripherals, and he turned over his shoulder to look closer. It had already disappeared from sight, and for a moment Ciel thought he was seeing things. He wasn't that tired though, and he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. Maybe he should find Mother and ask to return home early._


End file.
